And off we go...

And off we go on another adventure. Rob arrived back in Phoenix a little over a week ago. We got some much needed rest in and now he is off again to Miami. He left this past Wednesday. The exciting news is that we are meeting up in New York this next week. We were blessed with the support of family and friends to make this happen.

I am traveling to New York for a work trip with the YMCA. Rob is going to accompany me and spend some down time in the city that never sleeps (much like Rob). I will be working during the day which means Rob will have some time to himself and then we will meet up in evening. I really enjoy my work peers with the Y and am very excited for them to meet Rob.

My work with the Y is as a consultant. I work with Y's all over the US helping them culturally adapt their programs to meet the needs of diverse communities. This means we will be staying in the Bronx. I so enjoy this work and it very much aligns with the work Rob does with LAM. We both have a passion for serving the underserved. For reaching out to the hearts of people that often are judged or simly ignored by those around them. The exciting part about what I do with the Y is that I get to work with professionals and community members to break down the walls that exist between them and their community. It takes time, patience and it is a journey. Much like working with any disenfranchised community, it takes time to build trust and engage in partnerships. Please pray that my work with the Y would continue over the next week. I am wrapping up my current consulting job this year and hope to continue with more work with them over the next couple of years. My heart is working with such an incredible organization!

Rob is still working on getting the office back in Miami up and running. He is working on the servers and new accounting system. He is training others at the office to maintain the systems. It looks like what was a short terms side project has taken on a life of its own. Rob will most likely be working on this project for the next several months in addition to other work he does with LAM. We don't know what this means yet in terms of travel but we are preparing ourselves to spend time apart. We are finding a way to make this work for our relationship. We make sure to treasure every moment we have together. We also protect our time here if Phoenix very carefully. We do this so we don't get caught up with more "stuff" and lose sight that we need to connect when we are together.

Our families have been an incredible support. I must mention that without mom and dad Chaney we wouldn't have been able to make the past couple of months work. Just to mention a small gesture (that meant the world to me!)- both our cars broke down about two months ago. We hadn't been able to fix them and I didn't know how I was going to make it to school in San Diego. Dennis and Sandi graciously lent us their car and I haven't had to miss a class. WOW! Talk about love!

Speaking of school. I am almost done with my first semester...only three more to go!
You can be praying for direction in our life. I am unclear as to continue full time school with work or to take it slower. We are also praying for direction as Rob moves towards full time support raising with LAM. Also, that the technical project can be completed successfully so he can go back into the field. He missed the direct contact with folks in the field.

I will post more once I am back from NY!